Art movement research 5

Alphonse Mucha (24 July 1860 -----14 July 1939) was a Czech painter and decorative artist, who went to France to study in his early years, and became famous in Paris, becoming a representative figure of the Art Nouveau Movement. Its poster works are famous for its dignified and elegant female figures and beautiful lines, forming a unique style. At the age of 50, he chose to return to his hometown of Bohemia for 15 years of creating a huge oil painting called the Slavic Epic, which he dedicated to Prague on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's independence.

Alphonse Mucha, Rêverie, 1897, colour lithograph.

Mucha's work features a strong art Nouveau movement, with a large number of paintings, posters, advertisements and book illustrations, as well as jewelry, carpets, wallpaper and theater furnishings. The painting women are often beautiful in neoclassical robes, surrounded by rich flowers, and often have a halo behind the woman's head. His Art Nouveau style is often imitated, however, this was something Mucha never wanted to try; he always stuck to the belief that he depended on any popular design style, born from the heart. He claimed that art existed only to convey spiritual messages; so he was frustrated by the fame he received in the commercial art world, and wished to focus on the more sublime art and the plans that made his place of birth more distinguished.

Alphonse Mucha, Zodiac, 1896, colour lithograph.

In 1896, Mucha's Floater Frame Painting on Canvas was born, and this work became a representative work of Art Nouveau. The background of Floater Frame Painting on Canvas contains the twelve constellations that we call us right now. In his works, he mainly carved out the "gentle female characters", and the detailed lines and the beautiful painting style have become the characteristics of Mucha.

Image List: https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/alphonse-mucha